
Photo: badosa / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Pat Metheny fascinates me because he reconciles two things that rarely coexist: fearsome technical command and genuine warmth. From small-town Lee's Summit, Missouri, he leapt past jazz orthodoxy into Latin, fusion, and contemporary territory, leading the Pat Metheny Group for decades while never settling into comfort. His tone is luminous, almost weightless, yet the harmonic thinking underneath is staggering. The NEA Jazz Masters honor only confirms what listeners already knew. What I love most is the paradox: a virtuoso whose playing always feels generous rather than show-offy. He keeps chasing new ideas at an age when most legends coast, and that restlessness is everything.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Pat Metheny
- Name (Japanese)
- パット・メセニー
- Reading
- ぱっと・めせにー
- Born
- August 12, 1954 (age 71)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Horse
- Origin
- Lee's Summit, Missouri, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- guitarist / jazz guitarist / songwriter / composer / jazz musician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Lee's Summit High School
- University
- University of Miami
Awards & achievements
- Paul Acket Award
- 2018 NEA Jazz Masters
- 2008 Kansas Music Hall of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Pat Metheny born?
Born August 12, 1954 (age 71).
Where is Pat Metheny from?
Pat Metheny is from Lee's Summit, Missouri, United States.
What does Pat Metheny do?
Pat Metheny works as guitarist, jazz guitarist, songwriter, composer, jazz musician.
Guitarist — see all → · Jazz guitarist — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.